If Britain limited EU immigration, this would have its price: Merkel

BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain would have to pay a price if it put limits on the free movement of European Union citizens after its departure from the bloc, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told trade unionists on Wednesday.

"If the British government ends the free movement of people, that will have its price," she said at a G20 trade union event in Berlin.

"That's not malice," she said. "But I cannot have all the good sides and then say there will be an upper limit of 100,000 or 200,000 EU citizens, no more, or just researchers, but please nobody else. This will not work."

In such a scenario, the remaining 27 EU members would then have to think about what additional obstacles to throw up in order to compensate, Merkel said.